Treatment of disorders secondary to organic impairments

ABSTRACT

A method for treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms or disorders emanating from primary brain or systemic impairments includes administration of an effective dose of a dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor to a human in need of such treatment. The preferred reuptake inhibitor is sibutramine.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/836,156 filed Apr. 17, 2001 which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/204,124 filed Dec. 2, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,242.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the pharmacological treatment of various secondary neurological, behavioral and cognitive symptoms or disorders emanating out of brain or systemic impairments, i.e., primary impairments.

The secondary symptoms and disorders include as non-limiting examples, tic and behavioral disorders including Tourette's syndrome and severe non-Tourette's motor or vocal tics; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); atypical attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity; frontal lobe defects of executive function; oscillopsia; self-mutilation; violence or rage such as in intermittent explosive disorder; asocial behavior; sexual disorders (including gender choice difficulties or hyposexuality); psychological (psychosis, violence, and confusion) and motor symptoms of Huntington's Disease (Huntington's Chorea); fatigue, exhaustion, sleep problems, and pain of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with or without Fibromyalgia; psychosis with multiple hallucinations and delusions secondary to brain injury; opiate narcotic addiction; Sick Building Syndrome (SBS); Gulf War Syndrome (GWS); Reflex Sympathetic Dystophy Syndrome (RSDS), also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS); Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP); Cerebral Palsy; Torticollis; Dystonia; Dyskinesia; Institutionalization Syndrome, also known as Concentration Camp Syndrome or Survivor Syndrome; and Dementia, Alzheimer's dementia or non-Alzheimer's dementia. It should be noted that a symptom is a single manifestation while a disorder involves more than one symptom or a cluster of symptoms.

The symptoms and disorders are secondary to the primary impairments and emanate from neurological diseases or brain lesions including Tourette's Disease, non-Tourette's tic disorders, Asperger's Syndrome, temporal lobe or other focal epilepsy, Huntington's Disease, brain tumors or cysts, systemic lupus erythematosus, viral infections and their resulting neurological injuries, and various psychological disorders such as multiple personality disorder, borderline personality, organic psychosis, and severe traumatic experiences.

BACKGROUND OF RELATED TECHNOLOGY

Gilles De La Tourette's syndrome is characterized by motor and vocal tics, i.e., involuntary, sudden, rapid, recurrent, nonrhythmic, stereotyped motor movement or vocalization. Some researchers hypothesize that there is a dysregulation in presynaptic dopamine function in Tourette's disorder (T.D.) and tics can be exacerbated by drugs that enhance synaptic dopamine function. R. T. Madison et al., Am. J. Psychiatry 152(9):1359-1361, 1995. Pharmacologic therapy has included low doses of dopamine-2 blockers and dopamine-antagonists including haloperidol, risperidone, or pimozide. T. M. Hyde et al., JAMA 273: 498-501, 1995. A problem with this dopamine-2 blockade is that this may often produce decreased attention, hyperactivity, dysphoria, and extrapyramidal symptoms in T.D. patients. Furthermore, if T.D. patients are treated with dopamine-2 stimulating analeptics (such as methylphenidate, dextroamphetamine, or pemoline) for their cognitive, attention, and hyperactivity problems, their motor and vocal tics are intensified. Non-Tourette's tic disorder most commonly arises out of previous analeptic treatment and persists after such treatment.

Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions which force certain parts of the body into abnormal, sometimes painful, movements or postures. Dystonia can affect any part of the body including the arms and legs, trunk, neck, eyelids, face or vocal cords. Dystonia is the third most common movement disorder after Parkinson's Disease and Tremor, affecting more than 300,000 people in North America. Currently, no medication or therapy can prevent progression of Dystonia from happening. Dystonia will usually stabilize within five years of onset, but symptoms may fluctuate and stressful situations, anxiety or depression may make symptoms temporarily worse. Treatments currently available not only fail to cure this disorder but only moderately abate the symptoms of Dystonia.

One form of Dystonia is Torticollis which is a neurological movement disorder in which the muscles controlling the neck undergo repetitive or sustained contraction, causing the neck to involuntarily jerk, twist or rotate. The abdominal posture caused by Torticollis is often debilitating and painful. Torticollis most commonly begins between age 30-60, and it affects 83,000 people in the United States. There are three types of torticollis: tonic, sustained abnormal posture; clonic, jerky head movements; and mixed, a combination of tonic and clonic movements. Symptoms progress over two to five years and then remain steady, but may worsen during stressful times. There is no cure for Torticollis. The current treatment provides only temporary relief of symptoms for a short time period before new treatment is needed. Torticollis is also referred to as spasmodic wryneck, idiopathic cervical Dystonia, ICD, cervical Dystonia and spasmodic Torticollis.

Dyskinesia is the impairment of muscle movement, or lack of control over ordinary muscle movement. Typical dyskinetic movements are Chorea, rapid movements; or Dystonia, twisting movements, muscle cramps and unusual posturing. Lingual, facial and tardive dyskinesia is characterized by twitching of the face and tongue, and involuntary movements of the body and limbs. Dyskinesia tends to occur more in people with early onset of Parkinson's disease (before 50 years old). There is no known cure for dyskenesia.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) follows exposure to a traumatic experience involving actual or threatened death or injury or threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others. PTSD includes characteristic symptoms of reexperience, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, and numbing of general responsiveness or hyperarousal (sleep difficulty, anger, difficulty concentrating, hypervigilance or exaggerated startle response) with clinically significant distress or impairment. Studies in the United States demonstrate that 5 to 6 percent of men and 10 to 14 percent of women had had PTSD at some time in their lives, making it the fourth most common psychiatric disorder. It has been established that PTSD is associated with organic changes in the limbic system. It has also been suggested that a kindling model or a model of a paroxysmal disorder is applicable to PTSD (S. Liper et al., Psychosomatics 27 (12): 849-854, 1986). In the kindling model (R. M. Post et al, Clin. Neuropharmacol. 2:25-42, 1977), cumulative bioelectric changes, especially in the limbic area and secondary to repeated biochemical or psychological stress, can result in abnormal limbic or neuronal sensitization and major psychiatric disturbances. Recent neuroanatomical studies have identified alterations in two major brain structures—the amygdala and hippocampus—in patients with PTSD. The reactivity of the amygdala and anterior paralimbic region to trauma-related stimuli is increased, and the reactivity of the anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal areas decreased. These areas of the brain are involved in fear responses. Differences in hippocampal function and in memory processes presumed to be dependent on the hippocampus have been found, suggesting a neuroanatomical substrate for the intrusive recollections and other cognitive problems that characterize PTSD (R. Yehuda, N Engl J Med 346 (2): 108-113, 2002). The finding of shrinkage in the hippocampus suggests a loss of cell mass. The loss is not yet known, but may be due to the effects of heightened levels of cortisol, a steriod hormone secreted by the brain in response to emergencies, some researchers believe. Cortisol is a major means the body uses, with adrenaline, to arouse itself so quickly, but it can be toxic and damaging to the hippocampus (D. Goleman, Science, C3, Aug. 1, 1995). Pharmacologic therapy for stress disorders has included benzodiazepines (e.g., lorazepam, diazepam, clonazepam), beta adrenergic blockers and antiseizure medications such as carbamazepine and valproic acid. It has been suggested that PTSD can induce a long-lasting brainstem dysfunction resulting in loss of the normal inhibitory modulation of startle response (E. M. Omitz et al, Am. J. Psychiatry 146(7): 866-870, 1989), and clonidine has been used to decrease noradrenergic action and inhibit startle response. Nevertheless, no successful dramatic treatment of PTSD has been discovered for the severe, chronic cases of this crippling disorder. A number of articles describing current developments in PTSD appear in Psychiatric Annals 28:424-468, 1998.

A successor to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is Institutionalization Syndrome or Concentration Camp Syndrome, also referred to as Survivor Syndrome, and related to War Neurosis. Concentration Camp Syndrome includes the symptoms associated with PTSD as well as additional symptoms such as psychiatric and social disorders, distortion, disturbance of memory such as amnesia, psychogenic amnesia, hyperamnesia and disturbances of consciousness. Due to complexity of disturbances involved in this syndrome, it has also been characterized as pervasive, depressive mood with morose behavior; chronic apprehension, paranoia including tendency to withdraw; insecurity and helplessness; social dysfunction including lack of interest, emotion or initiative; thoughts of death; psychosomatic stress; somatizing, ranging from rheumatic or neurologic pains and aches to psychosomatic diseases such as peptic ulcers, colitis, respiratory and cardio-vascular syndrome; hypertension; mental confusion; panic attacks; nightmares; anxiety, angry outbursts, agitation; or psychotic disturbances with delusional or semi-delusional symptomatology.

Multiple Personality Disorder is a Dissociative Disorder which includes the existence within the person of two or more distinct personalities which recurrently take full control. There is an extensive inability to recall personal information. Dissociative disorders may occur as acute responses to overwhelming trauma and are common in combat or disasters. There is probably also a relationship between seizures and these disorders. Devinsky et al., Neurology 39:835-840, 1989.

Borderline personality disorder is characterized by tumultuous interpersonal relationships, labile mood status, and behavioral dyscontrol. Self-mutilation and violent behavior can also be seen with this disorder. Carbamazepine, an anti-convulsant with preferential action on limbic foci, produced decrease in severity of behavioral dyscontrol (R. W. Cowdry et al., Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 45:111-119, 1988) but not in the other multiple symptoms.

Primary attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by developmentally inappropriate failures of attention, hyperactivity, cognitive function, and impulsivity. The ADHD syndrome is idiopathic (no known secondary cause such as brain injury, dementia or known metabolic disease), begins at birth or soon thereafter, and usually has a strong hereditary basis.

Violence or rage (intermittent explosive disorder) can also be categorized as an impulse control disorder. There is a loss of control grossly out of proportion to any precipitating psychosocial stresses. Disabling outbursts of rage and violent behavior can be related to chronic brain syndrome associated with irreversible CNS (central nervous system) lesions. Yudofsky et al., Am. J. Psychiatry 138:218-220, 1981. Disorders characterized by severe episodic dyscontrol can result from brain dysfunction, e.g., resulting from a failure of modulation of electrical disturbances in the limbic system (amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus), temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), brain lesions or injuries which can have neurological side effects. Other brain dysfunction disorders include motor, personality, or behavior patterns arising from, e.g., neurological impairment in the brain, TLE, viral infections, neurotransmitter disorders, amino acid imbalance, brain tumors, chromosomal abnormalities, metabolic disorders including endocrine disorders, diabetes, and genetic disorders such as disease which involves several genes, and chromosomal disorders.

Dementia or chronic brain syndrome is defined as a group of symptoms involving progressive impairment of all aspects of brain function. Studies have concluded just over 1% of the population aged 65-74 suffer from Dementia, and as many as 47% of people over 85 suffer from some form of Dementia. More than half of the people diagnosed with Dementia are classified as having Dementia resulting from Alzheimer-type Dementia generally are expected to live eight years from diagnosis. Generally symptoms characterizing Dementia include memory impairment or loss; cognitive disturbances such as alexia, agraphia, aphasia, apraxia, agnosia; emotional disorders, such as depression, anxiety, aggression, apathy, flat affect or social withdrawal; sleep dysfunctions or disturbance; severe mental status fluctuation such as confusion, hallucinations, delusions, disorientation, hyperactivity or limited alertness. There is no known cure for Dementia. The current goal of treatment has been to control the symptoms of Dementia.

Temporal lobe lesions may be brain damage produced by injury, disease, viral infection, and surgery, and can produce disturbances characterized, e.g., by seizures, which can include, e.g., motor phenomena, impairment of external awareness, depersonalization, emotional changes, behavioral disturbances, psychosis, multiple cognitive disturbances, distortions or hallucinations of any of the five senses, and autonomic disturbances (gastrointestinal, cardiac, sweating, and headache symptoms among others). The symptoms can be severe and difficult to treat. The drugs used in treatment depend on the type of seizures and have included phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproic acid, phenobarbital, primidone, felbamate, gabapentin, and lamotrigine.

Various pharmacological approaches have been taken in treating the conditions described above. For example, a number of medications such as lithium, neuroleptics, anticonvulsants, buspirone and beta blockers have been used to reduce violent behaviors as a symptom, but there are no officially labeled treatments for violent behaviors. J. Fawcett, Psychiatric Annals 27(11):725, 1997. But, particularly when the symptoms are very severe, the standard pharmacological approaches to alleviate the symptoms of episodic dyscontrol are often unsuccessful.

Temporal lobe epilepsy poses particular problems which can include simple partial seizures that can be manifested by motor symptoms, sensory symptoms, or psychic symptoms including impairment of consciousness, dysphasia, dysmnesia, illusions, and hallucinations. Complex partial seizures include impaired consciousness and psychic symptoms. The drugs used in treatment depend on the type of seizures and have included phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproic acid, phenobarbital, primidone, felbamate, gabapentin, and lamotrigine.

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and other organic brain disorders may be associated with various sexual impairments. See, e.g., D. M. Bear, “Temporal Lobe Epilepsy—A Syndrome of Sensory-Limbic Hyperconnection”, Cortex 15:357-84, 1979. The most common sexual effect of organic brain problems is a loss of sexual interest and drive (hyposexuality). Less often sexual preference changes can occur and rarely fetishistic, exhibitionistic, or sadomasochistic problems occur. Some patients also develop an obsessive concern about sex and sexual performance. Treatment for these sexual problems is poor with antiepileptic or psychiatric medications but at times has been altered by unilateral temporal lobe surgery, a rather heroic procedure that many, if not most, patients are unable to undergo.

Damage to frontal lobes can also impair the executive function, that is the ability to plan, initiate, organize, carry out, monitor, and correct one's own behavior. W. W. Beatty and N. Monson, “Problem Solving By Patients With Multiple Sclerosis”, Journal of the International Neurological Society 2:134-140, 1996; V. Goel and P. Grafman, “Are Frontal Lobes Involved With Planning Functions? Interpreting Data From the Tower of Hanoi”, Neuropsychologia 5:623-642, 1995.

Sexual abnormalities can be associated with epilepsy or other brain diseases. These include a loss of sexual interest and drive (hyposexuality); fetishistic, exhibitionistic, or sadomasochistic problems; sexual preference changes (homosexuality, transsexuality, or transvestism); obsessive interest in sex or sexual performance; or compulsive sexual activity. Homosexuality may become a problem for those patients who have difficulty accepting this change or who are under societal pressure. It has been long established that altered sexuality can result from various brain impairments including temporal lobe epilepsy. D. M. Bear, Cortex 15:357-384, 1979.

Another hereditary or genetic neurological disorder is RP, a chronic progressive deterioration of vision that begins usually at the age of 20-30 years and gradually leads to progressive loss of vision and finally blindness at the age of 40-50 years. A characteristic is that vision is particularly worse in poor light and color vision goes first. Approximately 1 in 3000 in the population suffer from inherited retinal degeneration. About one in 80 people carry a single copy of a recessive RP gene. There are no known treatments for RP at this time.

Huntington's Disease (H.D.) is a relatively rare (6/10,000 in U.S. and Europe) fatal neurological disorder of a hereditary nature. It is an autosomal chromosome 4 dominant disorder with full penetrance (50% chance of all children of being affected) which usually begins between age 35-40 years and kills the patient in about 15 years with severe behavioral and neurological impairments in this morbid period. There are no successful treatments of these behavioral or neurological disorders of H.D. Neither gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) agonists (i.e., carbamazepine or valproic acid) nor antipsychotic medications repair the behavioral or neurological problems of H.D. in any satisfactory fashion.

Fibromyalgia (FM) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) are similar problems of unknown cause which lead to considerable suffering and debility over 6 months or more and often for many years. The incidence is approximately 250 per 100,000 for CFS and as high as 5% of the general medical population for FM. There are no reliably successful treatments and certainly no FDA approved treatments for these two disorders. The management of FMS involves a multidisciplinary approach including various medication which affect the central nervous system, and addressing each perpetuating factor, such as pain, lack of sleep, fatigue and muscle rigidity, separately. Medications are used along with a program of proper diet, life-style changes, mind work and body work. FM and CFS share in common severe fatigue, impaired concentration and memory, exercise intolerance, unrefreshing sleep, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headaches. FM is differentiated from CFS by specific point pain spots in the muscles and CFS differs from FM by having a sore throat, tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes, variably elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, occasional low grade temperature, and a variety of immunologic or neuroendocrinologic test values (none of which are consistent or indicative of any known etiologic agent). See, e.g., K. Fukuda et al., Ann. Intern. Med. 121:953-959, 1994; A. L. Komaroff et al., Rev. Infect. Dis. 13(Suppl. 1):S8-11, 1991. Both are clearly different from a depressive diagnosis. A recent study by A. L. Komaroff et al., Am. J. Med. 101:281-290, 1996, showed marked impairment of the CFS patients vs. patients with hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, multiple sclerosis, NIDDM, diabetes, congestive heart failure, or depression. Moreover, the degree and pattern of impairment CFS was different from that seen in depression. This is also the case in Fibromyalgia. L. J. Kirmayer et al., Am. J. Psychiatry 145:950-954, 1988.

Gulf War Syndrome is a disorder of unknown etiology and affecting about 1% of all Gulf War veterans according to Defense Department research. One clue to the cause is that a number of those veterans affected never reached the Gulf War area but contracted the syndrome while training for the war in Europe. This suggests that various injections or protective vaccines may have had some etiological role. The symptoms of GWS are very similar to those of Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with the addition of severe allergic complaints. According to the American Legion, symptoms may include: chronic fatigue, headache, muscle pain, sleep disturbance, neuropsychological signs or symptoms (such as memory loss or encephalopathy), and various allergic signs and symptoms including asthma, rash or gastrointestinal problems. There are no successful treatments known for GWS.

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is another disorder with multiple symptoms similar to GWS and perhaps Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It is of unknown etiology other than it occurs within certain buildings and produces allergic symptoms (skin rashes, asthmatic symptoms, and flu-like complaints), fatigue, cognitive problems, headaches, and muscle aches. It has been assumed that there is some form of allergen or toxic substance that affects those in the building involved, but no particular agent has been identified. There are no successful treatments for SBS other than leaving the building.

Opioid or narcotic abuse or addiction, most particularly addiction to or involving the abuse of heroin, but which also may involve other opiates such as propoxyphene, meperidine, hydromorphine, codeine, levorphanol, methadone, oxycodone, morphine, hydrocodone bitartrate and other opiate derivatives, represents a major drug problem throughout the world. It probably results from at least two events: (1) a chance or purposeful exposure of the addict or abuser to one of these opiates (either through illegal sources or medical sources) with the intake by oral, nasal, or intravenous routes, and (2) the individual exposed may have special needs for drugs which mute pain and distress. For instance, it is an infrequent event for patients to whom narcotics are administered for medical needs to develop dependence and addiction although they may show transient tolerance during treatment or withdrawal symptoms after cessation of the treatment. The binding sites in the brain and elsewhere of these opiate drugs are similar to the sites where our own endogenous pain-relieving endorphins and enkephalins bind. It has been proposed (E. J. Khantzian, Am. J. Psychiatry 142:1259-1264, 1985) that those who abuse narcotics as a drug of choice for dependence abuse or addiction are those who are subject to disorganizing and threatening affects of rage and aggression, perhaps from inadequate responses of their own endogenous pain-relieving endorphins. Many of these patients do not feel relief of pain over time the way most other people do. Treatment results for this serious addiction problem are extremely poor, mainly because of the lack of any non-addicting drug that can relieve the craving for narcotics in these addicts. Methadone treatment has been used commonly but methadone is just another addictive opiate which can be given conveniently in an oral form. Nevertheless, methadone is frequently abused and sold for abuse by addicts and others. There are no FDA-approved non-narcotic treatments for the chronic abuse of opiate narcotics.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS), also called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), is a syndrome of pain, hyperesthesia, vasomotor disturbances, dystrophic changes, significant central nervous system, and cognitive central nervous system changes such as impaired short-term memory, disorganization, lack of concentration, and confusion. RSDS is a progressive disease of the autonomic nervous system that can follow trauma, a break or a fracture, a sharp force injury (such as a knife or bullet wound), heart problems, infections, surgery, or spinal injuries. About 5% of CRPS cases arise without apparent injury, known as “spontaneous” CRPS. RSDS is a multi-system disorder, most commonly found in women over the age of 50, which affects nerves, skin, muscles, blood vessels, bones and the central nervous system. RSDS affects extremities, the face, shoulders, back, and eyes. There are three stages of RSDS: the acute stage; the dystrophic stage; and the atrophic stage. These stages last around 6 months, but can vary in each individual. The acute stage has intense, severe constant, burning pain and neuralgia. The dystrophic stage includes, in addition to the symptoms of the acute stage, bone changes, hair and nail changes and rigidity and restrictive movement. In the atrophic stage, the pain spreads proximately, and irreversible tissue damage occurs. Severe restriction of function and anatomic dysfunction is experienced. Throughout the stages one experiences inflammation and extreme sensitivity to touch. The skin appears mottled, becomes easily bruised, and has a shiny red and tight look to it. There is often profuse sweating in the areas involved. Later in the course of the illness there is a constriction of the vasculature with coldness, loss of skin integrity, low-grade fever, edema, sores, dystonia, tremors, insomnia, emotional disturbance, memory problems, and demineralization of the bones in the affected limb. The treatments currently available aim at blocking the effects of sympathetic hyperactivity. The treatments address individual symptoms and offer temporary relief, such as physical therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, tricyclic antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and corticosteroid injections. Some experimental treatments include Spinal cord stimulation, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). There are no successful overall treatments other than narcotics or local anesthesia for the pain; or the recent use of baclofen which may temporarily relieve the dystonia. None of these treatments helps other multiple problems suffered by the RSDS patient.

Cerebral Palsy is a chronic disability characterized as a range of neuromuscular disorders caused by injury to an infant's brain sustained during late pregnancy, birth or any time during the first two years of life. Approximately 2 per 1,000 individuals in the U.S. have cerebral palsy. Symptoms typically include reduced movement due to stiff or permanently contracted muscles; uncontrolled movements; difficulty with coordination while walking and moving the upper limbs, or inability to speak or swallow. Other associated problems include epilepsy, visual disturbances, hearing impairment, language difficulty, and slow growth. Causes which lead to Cerebral Palsy are typically prenatal causes such as infection, maternal stroke, exposure to environmental toxins, or brain development problems. Remaining causes are due to adverse events such as traumatic birth delivery, premature birth and complications, meningitis or head injury.

Sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate (N,N-Dimethyl-1-[1-4-chlorophenyl cyclobutyl]-3-methylbutylamine hydrochloride monohydrate) available as MERIDIA® (Knoll Pharmaceutical Co., Mount Olive, N.J.) has been described for the treatment of obesity and depression (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,746,680, 4,929,629 and 5,436,272), for diabetic hyperglycemia (WO 98/11884), and for hyperlipidemia (WO 98/13034). In contrast to many of the drugs mentioned above, sibutramine's mode of action is believed to include, among other things, inhibition of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine reuptake. Accordingly, it intensifies all three of these brain neurotransmitters at their post-synaptic receptor sites. These results are described, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,175 which also discloses the use of N,N-dimethyl-1-[1-(4-chlorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-3-methylbutylamine to activate the central nervous system and thereby improve certain cerebral functions involved with memory such as senile dementia, amnestic syndrome, and learning, and to increase spontaneous movement as in Parkinson's disease. There is no suggestion, however, to treat the neuropsychiatric symptoms and disorders treated according to the invention, i.e., neurological, behavioral and cognitive symptoms, particularly symptoms refractory to previous treatments.

It is an object of the invention to provide a treatment for severe secondary symptoms and disorders which often have not been successfully treated heretofore.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a method of treating secondary neurological, behavioral, and cognitive symptoms or disorders emanating from primary organic impairments. The term neuropsychiatric will be used herein to encompass these neurological, behavioral and cognitive symptoms or disorders.

The conditions to be treated encompass symptoms and disorders including symptoms of Cerebral Palsy; symptoms of Torticollis; symptoms of Dystonia; symptoms of Dyskinesia, Lingual Dyskinesia or facial Dyskinesia, symptoms of Institutionalization Syndrome, Concentration Camp Syndrome or Survivor Syndrome; Dementia or chronic brain syndrome, Alzheimer's-type Dementia or non-Alzheimer's-type Dementia; symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS); symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome (GWS); symptoms of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS); symptoms of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP); vocal and motor tics, obsessive compulsive behavior, and cognitive and behavior disorders of Tourette's syndrome and non-Tourette's disorders; symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); symptoms of multiple personality disorder; symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD); violence or rage such as seen with an intermittent explosive disorder; adult or adolescent sexual disorder or sexual dysfunction including hyposexuality, hypersexuality, obsessive-compulsive sexual activity, gender choice problems (including homosexuality), and sexual deviations (fetishism, transvestism, pedophilia, sadomasochistic behavior, exhibitionistic behavior, and frotteurism); self mutilation including self-laceration and other self-abuse; oscillopsia; psychological, behavioral, emotional, cognitive and motor symptoms of Huntington's Disease; severe fatigue, sleep abnormalities, cognitive difficulties, and pain of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome; severe psychoses with hallucinations and/or delusions refractory to conventional antipsychotic treatment as caused by primary impairments including trauma, brain tumors, amino acid imbalance, chromosomal abnormalities, metabolic disorders including renal failure and diabetes, and genetic disease; frontal lobe executive problems of forming appropriate plans and carrying them out in prompt fashion caused by various primary brain disorders; asocial behavior; and opiate narcotic dependency, abuse, or addiction. Patients advantageously treated have at least one of these symptoms or disorders.

The primary impairments which give rise to these symptoms include as non-limiting examples, temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), Huntington's Disease, Tourette's Disorder, non-Tourette's Disorder, atypical attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity, adult or adolescent sexual disorders, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), multiple personality disorder, borderline personality, and organic psychosis. The primary impairments can be systemic such as systemic lupus erythematosus; brain disorders from systemic causes such as metabolic, genetic or chromosomal diseases, brain cysts, and tumors; Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; viral infections and resulting neurological injuries.

The treatment includes administering a pharmacologically effective dose of a dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, particularly sibutramine, to a human in need of such treatment. The treatment has also been shown to interrupt endorphin-opioid pathology. Patients most advantageously treated are those with severe symptoms. By severe is meant intractable symptoms which have not responded to standard medication sufficiently to control those symptoms.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

There are many secondary symptoms or disorders caused by or excited by various primary excitatory factors or impairments (diseases, illnesses, injuries, etc.). The primary impairments include brain impairments such as brain disease, brain lesions, and systemic impairments such as lupus erythematosus, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

It has been discovered that administration of sibutramine allows control of previously uncontrollable behavioral, cognitive, and neurological problems in patients suffering from a spectrum of neurological disorders. Clinical results show that symptoms successfully controlled include tics manifested by motor or vocal outbursts, episodic dyscontrol with anger and violence, self injury or mutilation, asocial behaviors, problems of executive (frontal lobe) function, severe posttraumatic stress disorder, panic outbursts, atypical psychoses with florid hallucinations and delusions refractory to previous treatments, the severe behavioral motor and psychotic symptoms of Huntington's Disease (HD), atypical attention deficit disorder, sexual disorders, sleep problems, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, or pain problems of fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, and the opiate narcotic craving in opiate addiction.

Many of the disorders and symptoms are listed in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association, Wash., D.C.

The term sibutramine as used herein means compounds of sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate, more specifically N,N-dimethyl-1-[1-(4-chlorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-3-methylbutylamine hydrochloride preferably in its monohydrate form, and enantiomers and analogues thereof, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,746,680, 4,929,629 and 5,436,272. Sibutramine is believed to inhibit reuptake of norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine thereby intensifying their effects in the brain. Sibutramine is commercially available as MERIDIA®, Knoll Pharmaceutical Company, Mount Olive, N.J. Capsules are presently available with discrete dosages of 5, 10 and 15 mg for oral administration. The sibutramine is administered in a pharmaceutically active dose. The preferred dosage is about 5 mg three times a day but there is variation between patients for the best dose. It is believed that the cytochrome P450 system differs in individuals and the dose must be determined empirically in each patient. The effect of the cytochrome P450 system on metabolism of psychotropic drugs is discussed in “Intercom: The Experts Converse”, published by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, November 1995. The lowest effective dose has been shown to be 0.25 mg daily and the highest dose has been shown to be 45 mg (15 mg 3 times daily). It is possible that higher or lower doses can be used depending upon each individual. Therefore, more flexibility in available dosage is needed. Furthermore, means of administration such as injection, rectal suppository, or transdermal patches may be utilized. Finally, a long-acting slow-release means such as oral tablet or capsule would be the preferred route in view of the rapid metabolism noted (5 hour duration of action usually) in most of the patients.

The sibutramine, sibutramine salt or derivative thereof, is administered, preferably in a pharmaceutical carrier and in a pharmaceutically effective dose, preferably about 5 mg three times a day. The dose can vary depending upon the individual, e.g., from about 0.25 mg to 45 mg or more per day.

Although the use of sibutramine has been described for the treatment of conditions such as obesity, depression, diabetic hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, senile dementia and related conditions, and Parkinson's disease, it has been discovered that sibutramine can be successfully used in treating other problems unrelated to these conditions. In treating other problems according to the invention, for example, rather than demonstrating an anti-obesity effect, most patients gained weight when the changes resulting from the method of the invention were taking place. For example, patients with ADD previously treated with stimulants found it easier to eat when treated with sibutramine and gained weight. Moreover, the improvements according to the invention were rapid and the symptoms were alleviated within minutes or hours of treatment. Therefore, the improvements were seen in the short term, and the improvements continued long term. In regard to depression, most of the patients treated were not clinically depressed and patients who were being treated with anti-depressants became depressed when removed from the anti-depressant medication and treated with sibutramine alone. It was generally necessary to continue anti-depressant therapy along with the sibutramine therapy.

It has been discovered that sibutramine acts as a stabilizer or normalizer of the secondary effects of various neuropsychiatric conditions. Sibutramine appears to correct multiple secondary, ancillary neurophysiological signs and symptoms of many neuropsychiatric disorders. While it is not intended to be bound by theory, this may be through a “damping” neurological effect which would restrict or mute abnormal impulses emanating from the area of pathology or injury (such as the temporal lobe) to peripheral areas (such as the hypothalamus, the amygdala, the hippocampus, other limbic structures, or motor areas). Sibutramine is therefore usually an “add-on” medication to other medications, such as antiepileptic or anti-depressant medications. It appears to be one of those very rare if not unique medicines that calms without sedating, activates without agitating, or, in sum, corrects these multiple severe neurophysiological problems toward normal. For many of the patients it also helps frontal lobe planning in executive function, thereby not only helping attention, but also intention.

Above and beyond the known effects of sibutramine on serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine activation, there is believed to be an effect of this medication on the endorphic opiate neurotransmitter system which is evident in the patients who have been relieved of pain, rage, anger, self-mutilation and particularly addiction to heroin. Moreover, self-injury appears to activate the opioid system and the relief through sibutramine of the need to cut themselves in these patients strongly suggests endorphic involvement of some sort. It would appear that sibutramine activates endorphins or, at the very least, modifies the endorphinergic opioid systems to promote serenity and lack of pain and stress, and to reduce craving for heroin. Such a mechanism which was previously unsuspected may have also contributed to the therapeutic effects of sibutramine herein described for PTSD, asocial behavior and fibromyalgic pain which have not been helped by serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine potentiators. This is in contradistinction to the therapeutic effects of sibutramine on ADHD, chronic fatigue, and the symptoms of Tourette's and non-Tourette's diseases. Finally, a differentiation between the serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine potentiation versus the opiate-like therapeutic effects of sibutramine may be made in terms of duration of action, whereas the serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine agonist effects lasted in most patients for only 4-6 hours (therefore requiring tid dosage), the opiate effects appear to last all day and require only a single AM dosage.

It has also been unexpectedly discovered that sibutramine promotes neurogenesis. Neurogenesis is the routine growth of new brain cells which is initiated by the chemical release of serotonin. Serotonin travels from one neuron to another by crossing a gap known as a synapse. Normally, once the receiving neuron is activated, the chemical is reabsorbed by the brain. Sibutramine was discovered to inhibit the reuptake of serotonin which allows serotonin to remain in the synapse and interact with its targets for much longer than it otherwise would. As a consequence, sibutramine can be administered as a means of promoting and/or controlling neurogenesis.

Neurogenesis has been found to be inhibited by the release of certain hormones, such as glucocorticoids. Studies have found that elevated levels of glucocorticiods, such as those found in depressed patients, actually suppress neurogenesis or even kill existing neurons, especially in the area of the hippocampus known as the dentate gyrus. Gary Greenberg, Discover, 65-68, July 2001. Thus, a lack of or decrease in neurogenesis, correlates with a decrease in size of the hippocampus, a region in the brain associated with learning, memory and emotion, and consequently, a decrease or inability for the patient to perform mental and physical activities associated with these skills.

The present invention has also found that patients with Post Traumatic Stress experienced inhibited neurogenesis, as shown by the shrinking hippocampus, due to the stress-induced release of glucocorticoids. Sibutramine not only relieved the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress but it is believed that it induced neurogenesis, as evidenced by not only an increase in the hippocampus, but enhanced mental and motor skills associated therewith. These benefits were lost rapidly when either the patient was taken off sibutramine or when steroids, such as cortisone were concomitantly administered.

Furthermore, for most of these disorders, at this time there are no other known nor FDA approved medications currently available. The following nonlimiting examples illustrate the invention. In the following case histories, problems (symptoms or disorders) helped included:

1. Rage, violence, self-abuse. (Case Nos. 3, 47, 54, 97, 100, and 113)

2. Organically-based sexual dysfunction (including hyposexuality, obsessive-compulsive sexual preoccupation, and gender choice problems). (Case Nos. 20, 54, 77, 99, 100, and 109)

3. Severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). (Case No. 74)

4. The behavioral-emotional problems of Huntington's Disease. (Case No. 113)

5. The cognitive and visual problems of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP).

6. Oscillopsia associated with brain injury. (Case No. 111)

7. Treatment refractory Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) or (ADD) with or without hyperactivity. (Case Nos. 16, 20, 41, 47, 76, 77, 78, 100 and 109)

8. Tics, concentration problems, and behavioral problems of Tourette's Disease. (Case Nos. 20 and 47) and non-Tourette's Disease (Case No. 76).

9. Asocial behavior. (Case Nos. 20 and 54)

10. Severe atypical and neuroleptic refractory psychoses with delusions, hallucinations, and dyscontrol. (Case No. 97)

11. Enhancement of frontal lobe (executive planning) function (Case Nos. 41 and 78).

12. The fatigue, cognitive problems, sleep disorders, and pain of fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. (Case No. 141).

13. The symptoms due to Gulf War Syndrome (GWS).

14. The symptoms due to Sick Building Syndrome (SBS).

15. The craving for opiates in the dependent patient (case No. 165)

16. The symptoms due to Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS), also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

17. The symptoms due to Torticollis.

18. The symptoms due to Dystonia, Alzheimer's-type and non-Alzheimer's-type.

19. The symptoms due to Dyskinesia.

20. The symptoms due to Institutionalization Syndrome, also known as Concentration Camp Syndrome or Survivor Syndrome.

21. The symptoms due to Cerebral Palsy.

22. Motor skills disorders emanating from primary brain injury.

Some of the cases illustrate multiple problems.

EXAMPLES

1. Severe Atypical Psychosis (Problem No. 9) Sibutramine Patient No. 97:

A 33-year-old male patient had been treated for a severe psychosis which emanated from a motor vehicle accident with head trauma. Symptoms included multiple hallucinations (visual, auditory, smell, and touch), paranoid delusions, confusion, impaired memory, and discontinuity in awareness. He had received various a psychiatric diagnoses and had been treated without success with haloperidol, risperidone, olanzapine, trifluoperazine, buspirone, paroxetine, lorazepam, amantadine, and fluoxetine. SPECT brain scan showed multiple foci of dysfunctions in the right hemisphere indicative of right hemisphere encephalopathy (rather than a primary psychiatric disorder). Treatment with carbamazepine and quetiapine did not control his symptoms and valproic acid was also added. Finally, the patient was started on sibutramine 10 mg orally three times a day and the patient noted a marked decrease in hallucinations, confusion, paranoia, and anxiety. He continued on this treatment for seven weeks and beyond with gradual and consistent improvements.

2. Violence and Self-Laceration (Problem No. 1) Sibutramine Patient No. 3

A 49-year-woman had been treated for over eleven years for a complex partial seizure disorder with marked mood swings, frequent suicide attempts, out-of-body experiences, auditory, visual, and smell hallucinations, violent periods, and self-abuse (cutting herself). She required large doses of carbamazepine, valproic acid, gabapentin, trazodone, fenfluramine, nadolol, olanzapine, and venlafaxine to minimize her seizures (several per week) and to keep her out of psychiatric hospitals (a number of admissions), but she continuously suffered from self-abuse, rage attacks, loss of energy, and violent mood swings. She was rejected for brain surgery because of multiple foci for her seizure disorder.

She was started on sibutramine 10 mg orally every morning for her violence, self-abuse and obesity. Within less than a week, the patient gained new energy, had fewer seizures, and was no longer violent or self-abusive. Her dose of sibutramine was adjusted to 5 mg orally three times a day within the first two weeks of treatment due to a rapid wear-off of effects within 5-6 hours of administration. The patient had little weight change, actually gaining four pounds during the first month of treatment when these rapid behavioral and psychological changes were noted and therefore were clearly not related to the approved uses of sibutramine.

3. to 7. Repair of Altered Sexuality (Problem No. 2)

As discussed above, head injury temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and other organic brain disorders may be associated with various sexual impairments. The most common sexual effect of organic brain problems is a loss of sexual interest and drive (hyposexuality). Less often sexual preference changes can occur and rarely fetishistic, exhibitionistic, or sadomasochistic problems occur. Some patients also develop an obsessive concern about sex and sexual performance. The following case histories 3 through 7 illustrate the rapid repair of these organically based sexual problems with sibutramine.

3. Sexual Function, ADD, and Rage Outbursts (Problem Nos. 1, 2, and 6) Sibutramine Patient No. 100

A 51-year-old married man was treated for over two years for a simple partial seizure disorder of post-traumatic TLE (three automobile accidents) with severe mood swings, suicide attempts, obesity (over 300 lbs., and a body mass index of 41), memory problems, decreased organization, concentration problems, decreased sexual drive, and rage attacks. SPECT and EEG studies showed diffuse abnormalities in both frontal and parietal lobes. Previous treatment for his mood swings with lithium carbonate was unsuccessful and made his obesity worse. Treatment for his cognitive problems with bupropion, imipramine, nortriptyline, methylphenidate, and dextroamphetamine were unsuccessful.

Treated with carbamazepine helped with his mood swings but not with his anger, sexual, or cognitive problems. Treatment with phenteramine 15 mg twice a day helped him lose a small amount of weight but did not affect his other problems. Treatment with magnesium pemoline, lamotrigine, desipramine, selegiline, olanzapine, valproic acid, donepezil, thyroxine, fenfluramine and long-acting amphetamine salts were also not helpful. A trial of sildenafil (Viagra) did not help his sexual libido.

The patient was started on sibutramine 10 mg twice a day and he soon noted an increase in his sexual drive and interest in distinct contrast to his lack of response to sildenafil. He was able to concentrate better and had fewer and less severe anger outbursts.

4. Sexual Function and ADD (Problem Nos. 2 and 6) Sibutramine Patient No. 109

A 56-year-old married man had been treated for a year and a half for a simple partial seizure disorder of TLE with visual illusions, mood swings, anger attacks, and a loss of sexual interest and drive. He also had a separate problem with a prostatitis, urethritis, and prostatic calculi which further impaired his sexual life. Valproic acid helped his anger attacks but interfered with his concentration considerably and did not help his sexual problems. Other unsuccessful treatments included magnesium pemoline, lamotrigine, propranolol, and donepezil. Prostatic surgery with the removal of calculi helped his sexual performance marginally but not his sexual interest. Other unsuccessful treatments included yohimbine, testosterone patches, and sildenafil, which only increased sexual function but not libido. He was started on sibutramine 5 mg three times daily and immediately noted a new-found interest and ability to engage in sex. Finally, he no longer had the concentration and fatigue problems he had suffered from with the continuing valproic acid treatment.

5. Tourette's Tics, Asocial Behavior, and Relief of Hyposexuality (Problem Nos. 2, 6, 7, and 8) Sibutramine Patient No. 20

A boy was diagnosed at age 4 with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and at age 6½ years with Tourette's Disease. He had developmental delays as well as severe learning disabilities. He had violent behavior, dangerous impulsive behavior (jumping out of a second story window), marked social inappropriateness, and asocial behaviors of odd communication. He has been on medications since the age of four and at the time of this writing is now 16.

He was extremely difficult to medicate because any medication which helped the ADHD worsened his Tourette's Disease symptoms. Likewise, any effective Tourette's medication worsened his ADHD or his cognitive function. He had been given numerous medications over the years and none could improve his function without causing severe side effects or worsening other symptoms. In fact, he was hospitalized twice (103 days and 35 days) and in both cases it was reported that it was next to impossible to medicate him correctly. He was completely dysfunctional without medications or on the wrong medications and nearly required placement out of the home in an institution. Medications that were tried without success included: haloperidol, pimozide, fluphenazine, olanzapine, fenfluramine, dextrofenfluramine, carbamazepine, valproic acid, clomipramine, methylphenidate, magnesium pemoline, fluvoxamine, tacrine, donepezil, dextroamphetamine, felbamate, gabapentin, lamotrigine and seligiline. Clozapine was helpful in controlling his behavior and helped somewhat with his verbal tics but produced sedation, worse ADHD, and cognitive problems. (IQ fell 30 points). It also did not help his social behavior.

He was started on sibutramine (5 mg three times a day) and improvement was shown in many ways. First, the motor and vocal tics associated with Tourette's Disease were decreased as well as the obsessive compulsive component. Secondly, his ADHD improved; he became calmer and his thought processes clearer (decreased racing thoughts). Thirdly, his communication and social skills improved. He began dating girls for the first time. Prior to this he had no interest in sexual matters. He began attending regular mainstream school. Finally, many of the inappropriate behaviors ceased. These improvements included looking at people when he talked, directed rather than circumstantial speech, and appropriate social behavior which permitted him to be popular with his peer group. Prior to sibutramine treatment he had not begun to cope with the problems of adolescence but had remained sexually undifferentiated and socially remote.

6. Sexual Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior, ADD and Executive Function (Problem Nos. 2, 6 and 10) Sibutramine Patient No. 77

A 47-year-old married man had been treated for TLE simple partial seizure disorder for about six months. Among his complaints were inattention, poor organization, mood swings, sexual preoccupation, compulsive sexual behavior, visual illusions, and discontinuities in awareness. He had a past history of alcoholism but had been abstinent for ten years. He had been treated for a number of “psychiatric” disorders including “schizophrenia,” “depression,” “mania,” and “ADD. ” Past unsuccessful medicines had included haloperidol, dextroamphetamine, buproprion, and valproic acid.

Treatment with carbamazepine corrected the mood swings, breaks in awareness, and visual illusions, but not his lack of concentration, his disorganization, nor his sexual preoccupations and compulsive activity. Trials of added methylphenidate, long-acting amphetamine salts, and magnesium pemoline were also unsuccessful in this regard. He was started on sibutramine 10 mg every morning by mouth and after a month the dose was increased to 5 mg three times a day by mouth because the duration of effects of each dose was about five hours. On this medication, he could concentrate, organize, and no longer had the sexual obsessive-compulsive problems. Despite this decreased sexual activity, he has a more enjoyable sexual life with his wife with sibutramine treatment.

7. Sexual Gender Choice Change: Homosexuality (Problem No. 2) Sibutramine Patient No. 99

A 20-year-old young man had been treated for TLE with partial seizures, disorganization, and suicidal behavior (particularly when abandoned by a male lover). He had a history of head injury at age 1½years when he fell off a dresser while having a diaper change. He had been seen by multiple psychiatrists since age 13 years for depression that was refractory to imipramine, sertraline, lithium carbonate, fluoxetine, methylphenidate, gabapentin, donepezil, and olanzapine. The patient's impulsive behaviors, mood swings, and epileptic symptoms were relieved by carbamazepine.

His sexual history was significant in that he was completely asexual with no interest in either males or females until age 14 years when he began autoerogenous activity with thoughts of men. At age 16 years, he began homosexual activity. The sexual behavior continued for the 1½ years he was treated with carbamazepine. A marked change occurred after he was started on sibutramine 10 mg every morning. He first noted an increased interest in sex generally, but for the first time this interest included females as well as males. His interest in women became heightened with a differentiation between “attractive” and “non-attractive” girls, something he had not even considered previously. He became interested in female anatomy for the first time. A major issue became his complete lack of knowledge of dating and sexual conventions with girls. As a result, he gave up sexual activity (but not interest) until he could acquire the necessary social skills with girls. Most recently he had intercourse with a woman. His present dose of sibutramine is 5 mg three times a day.

8. Tourette's Disease Tics, Violence, and ADHD (Problem Nos. 1, 6, and 7) Sibutramine Patient No. 47

An 18-year-old male was treated for Tourette's Disease with vocal and motor tics, attention deficit disorder, and episodic anger and violence, for over six years. Treatment had included phenytoin, phenobarbital, clonidine, carbamazepine, fenfluramine, magnesium penoline, valproic acid, hydroxyzine, methylphenidate, bromocriptine, clomipramine, desipramine, selegiline, propranolol, clozapine, felbamate, tacrine, gabapentin, risperidone, lamotrigine, olanzapine, donepezil, and quetiapine without any good results. The medicines that helped the tics made his violent outbursts and cognitive problems worse and vice versa. The one exception was donepezil 5 mg bid p.o. which helped his cognitive problems without aggravating his tics or his outbursts; yet donepezil did not relieve the outbursts nor the tics.

The patient was started on sibutramine 10 mg every morning. This rapidly relieved his tics, his aggressive outbursts, and helped his concentration. The donepezil was continued. The effects of the sibutramine wore off quickly after noon with a rapid return of all symptoms. The dose of sibutramine was readjusted to 10 mg three times daily and he has continued on this medication to date with the loss of verbal and motor tics, violence, and concentration problems.

9. Non-Tourette's tics, obsessive-compulsive rituals, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). (Problem Nos. 6, 7) Sibutramine Case #76

An 11-year-old boy had been treated since the age of five years for attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity. He had a difficult birth in that his mother suffered from disseminated intravascular coagulation (presumably secondary to amniotic infusion) with kidney, cardiac, and pulmonary failure. The patient himself had pulmonary and cardiac arrest at birth but was restored back to life by resuscitation and artificial life support. His development was normal except for his hyperactivity, attention deficit, and impulsivity (from which his older brother also suffered).

He was initially treated successfully with methylphenidate until age eight years when premoline was added because of the rapid wear-off from the effects of methylphenidate. Lamotrigine was added at age nine years in an attempt to help his cognitive problems without success. At age 10 years, the patient developed multiple obsessive-compulsive (OCD) symptoms of trichotillomania and lip-licking, and fluvoxamine was added. SPECT scan was negative as was his MRI. The methylphenidate was discontinued and he was treated with amphetamine salts. Although the amphetamine and fluvoxamine helped his hyperactivity and OCD symptoms in part, he went on to develop multiple vocal and motor tics. Carbamazepine, donepezil, and ropinirole were unsuccessful. Finally, sibutramine was started at 5 mg tid. This stopped both the tics and the OCD symptoms, but only for a few hours. When the sibutramine dose was increased to 10 mg tid, he was free of symptoms throughout the day. Sleep and appetite were not affected. Furthermore, his concentration at school was better than with any of the analeptics (dextroamphetamine, methylphenidate, or pemoline) which were all discontinued. Finally, if he misses a single dose of sibutramine, the vocal and motor tics return immediately; this clearly identified the duration of action of sibutramine and was typical for most of the 170 patients treated to date.

10. Asocial Behavior, Violence, and Hyposexuality (Problem Nos. 1, 2, and 8) Sibutramine Patient No. 54

A 31-year-old man had a life-long history of asocial behavior, violence, and mental retardation. His parents noted that he had been relatively normal until age 3½ when he became asocial and withdrawn and had problems with eye/hand coordination. He went on to become episodically violent. He also developed limited speech and inappropriate communication with no eye contact and lack of affect with others. He had been given multiple medications since the age of 5 years including methylphenidate, thioridazine, chloral hydrate, haloperidol, carbamazepine, nadolol, fenfluramine, propranolol, olanzapine, and quetiapine without any changes in his speech or mode of communication. The carbamazepine, high-dose propranolol, and fenfluramine combination was successful in curbing his violence but not his asocial behavior or hyposexuality. In the late fall of 1997 fenfluramine was removed from the market and the patient became episodically violent again.

In the spring of 1998 the patient was tried on sibutramine 10 mg daily and he again became calm and manageable. The dose was then changed to 5 mg tid and other changes became noticeable. These included a decrease in repetitive speech, hissing, and compulsive acts, an increase in social activity and sexual interest, and increased speech generally. Furthermore, for the first time he began to look directly and intently at the person he was talking to and made sense in his speech and oriented to the situations around him. Finally, he now was accepting change without upset for the first time.

11. Severe Post-Traumatic Stress Reaction (Problem No. 3) Sibutramine Patient No. 74

A married 53-year-old woman was seen for a very severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which stemmed from her witnessing the murder of her employer and the suicide of the murderer by pistol shots close to her ear. The brain single photo emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan was abnormal with decreased left frontal lobe perfusion. The patient had psychotic decompensation when confronted with pistol shot-like sounds such as backfires, shots from TV or movies, and particularly thunder. During the first thunderstorm after the trauma she described rain coming down the color of blood, and she ended up curled up in a fetal position in a corner of the room with her hands over her ears in a grossly psychotic state. Treatment with carbamazepine, phenytoin, various benzodiazepines, valproic acid, various antipsychotics (including clozapine), buspirone, oxcarbazepine, various antidepressants, dextroamphetamine, pemoline, methylphenidate, and fenfluramine were all unsuccessful in preventing her severe PTSD symptoms and particularly the reactions to thunder. She frequently was suicidal and was hospitalized once for these severe problems.

The patient was started on sibutramine 10 mg in the morning and was seen two days after a very severe thunderstorm with the threat of tornadoes. The patient reported she stayed up four hours of that night watching for tornadoes, completely oblivious of her former psychotic fear of thunder.

After one and a half months sibutramine was stopped due to problems of dosage due to her deficiency in P-450 cytochrome system enzymes. Even one-half of the smallest capsule (5 mg) was too much and produced drowsiness, sugar craving, and weight gain. She also had not had any PTSD symptoms in many weeks and felt she might be over the disorder. Unfortunately, she immediately noted a rapid return of the fear of thunder, sound and light sensitivity, exaggerated startle reflex, headaches, and nightmares of life and death situations. She had to wear ear plugs and be sedated for the psychoses caused by thunderstorms or even the threat of such. Within one and a half months of the cessation of the sibutramine, the patient was returned to sibutramine but at a much lower dosage (less than 1 mg once a day). This provided relief again from her PTSD symptoms but without the sedation she had noted before with higher doses of sibutramine. Finally, this patient was taken off of fluoxetine 20 mg when sibutramine treatment was initiated. She became severely depressed despite the relief from PTSD. When the fluoxetine was reinstated, the depression and PTSD were relieved. Therefore, the effect of sibutramine on PTSD was different from any antidepressant action.

12. Huntington's Disease (Problem No. 4) Sibutramine Patient No. 113

A 39-year-old single woman had been treated for an organic behavioral disorder with mood swings, violence, concentration problems, and psychosis for over eleven years. She had been managed well and worked full-time with great success with carbamazepine, gabapentin, and fluoxetine, but she then developed staggering gait, confusion, disorganization, rage outbursts, and severe hopelessness with suicidal impulses that no longer responded to the previous medications. She was then started on sibutramine 5 mg three times a day and within 20 minutes of the first capsule she noted complete relief of the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems but not with the ataxic gait. These effects lasted only five hours and required at least three times a day dosage. A dosage of 5 mg at 5:30 AM and 10:30 AM and 10 mg at 3:30 PM permitted her relief until bedtime at 10:30 PM. Gradually she noted improvements in her ataxic gait and was able to continue her responsible work as a boat captain without staggering or falling. Her dose was adjusted to 10 mg tid po due to rapid wear-off of the smaller 5 mg doses. A review of her family history revealed that the patient's uncle and father had H.D. and her younger brother also has the behavior and emotional complaints that the patient had prior to the worsening of the initial symptoms (without the ataxic neurological symptoms).

13. Retinitis Pigmentosa

A 76-year-old woman presented with a 40 year history of gradual loss of vision due to RP. For the past 10 years she had been almost completely blind except for well-lit large shapes visible to her right eye. She has been prone to falls with head injury and had developed a focal seizure disorder which had been also associated with “visions”, stammering, and confusion. Multiple treatments had been tried unsuccessfully by other physicians, and she was then referred to me. After trials with various antiepileptics, she was treated with sibutramine 5 mgs. t.i.d. The patient not only rapidly showed better organization and alertness, decreased stammering, but also better vision by visual testing and observations of her husband, family, and herself.

She was able to read gravestones of her family and also lost the “visions” which had upset her so. One problem was that the effects faded after 4-6 hours and required multiple dosing. Her sleep was aided as well because of the relief from the frightening visual apparitions. The relief from stammering was also unexpected.

14. Intracerebral Porencephalic Cyst With Oscillopsia (Problem No. 5) Sibutramine Patient No. 111

A 58-year-old man suffered a severe head injury in 1976 with a fractured skull, coma, and an intracerebral (porencephalic) cyst caused by the traumatic blockage of his cerebral spinal fluid in his brain. This cyst was repaired surgically with a brain ventricular—jugular vein shunt. This had permitted him to work continuously with concomitant treatment with carbamazepine, valproic acid, and dextroamphetamine until early 1998 when he began to suffer severe attacks of bizarrely altered vision, dizziness, ataxia, and confusion. The attacks progressed to several times per week, lasting 4-24 hours in duration. Examination revealed he was suffering from oscillopsia produced by the rapid oscillation of his eyes produced by irritation from his injury and his shunt. There is no known treatment for these attacks and he was therefore unable to drive or work safely. He was placed on total disability. He was started on 10 mg of sibutramine as needed for these oscillopsia attacks. When this appeared to help, his dose of sibutramine was increased to 5 mg three times daily. In the next four weeks he had only one such attack, and this began early in the morning prior to his initial dose of sibutramine. After 2 months at the 5 mg tid dosage, the patient again noted a recurrence of oscillopsia on a 2-3 times weekly basis. His dosage of sibutramine was increased to 10 mg tid and this was followed by an absence of attacks.

15. Severe ADHD Refractory to All Other Medications With Executive (Frontal Lobe) Problems (Problem Nos. 6 and 10) Sibutramine Patient No. 41

A 25-year-old male was seen first for a life-long history of severe hyperactivity, distractibility, disorganization, poor memory of studied material, very poor concentration, and school failure despite a high IQ. There was no known history of head injury, other neurological disease, nor metabolic disease. He had had multiple trials (both singly and in combination and in a wide range of doses) of methylphenidate, magnesium pemoline, dextroamphetamine, venlafaxine, valproic acid, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, nefazodone, lithium carbonate, fluoxetine, imipramine, nortriptyline, buproprion, and donepezil. He was started on sibutramine, finally reaching a dose of 15 mg three times a day (due to his rapid catabolism of this medicine with a maximum duration of a single dose effect of only 4-5 hours). This was the first medication to calm him and permit careful, quiet concentration and retention of information. He now plans graduate school for the first time with confidence. The only complaints relate to being “too calm” with a loss of the exciting high-risk behavior of the past. He also noted for the first time a marked improvement in his ability to form appropriate, organized plans and execute them promptly without procrastination or distraction.

16. ADHD Refractory to Other Treatments (Problem No. 6) Sibutramine Patient No. 16

A 46-year-old married woman with a lifelong history of ADHD was treated for four years with multiple medications including methylphenidate, magnesium pemoline, dextroamphetamine, and long-acting amphetamine salts without success and negative side effects. The amphetamines made her nervous, jittery, and unable to sleep. The methylphenidate and magnesium pemoline, on the other hand, made her sleepy. These medications did not calm her hyperactivity without sedating her. She was started on sibutramine 10 mg every morning by mouth. Immediately she noted a calming and an alerting effect not seen with the dopamine agonist analeptics. After the first month, her dose was changed to 5 mg three times daily due to a five hour duration of effects. She has continued on the medication to date (over six months) as did her daughter who also failed to respond to all of the various analeptic dopaminergic drugs used for ADHD.

17. Enhancement in frontal lobe executive function, ADHD, and hyposexuality (Problems Nos. 2, 6, and 10) Sibutramine Patient No. 78

A 65-year-old man with a lifelong history of ADHD had been treated for eight years with multiple medications. Initially his attention problems responded to methylphenidate but then required the addition of pemoline. On the other hand, his work continued to suffer due to difficulties making decisions.

Trials of adding lamotrigine, donepezil, fluoxetine, or selegiline were unsuccessful. He was then started on sibutramine 10 mg. bid p.o. and noted immediate repair of concentration, and particularly his ability to plan and carry out these plans effectively for the first time in many years. Due to dry mouth and some insomnia his dose of sibutramine was decreased to 5 mg bid and the pemoline and methylphenidate were discontinued without a loss of efficacy.

In 1997 the patient had a radical prostatectomy for adenocarcinoma of the prostate. This resulted in a lack of sexual drive and erectile dysfunction. Treatment with sildenafil helped correct the mechanical dysfunction but not the libido. With sibutramine this problem of sexual drive was repaired for the first time since his prostate surgery.

18. Fibromyalgia—Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Problem No. 11)

As discussed above, both FM and CFS share in common severe fatigue, impaired concentration and memory, exercise intolerance, unrefreshing sleep, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headaches. FM is differentiated from CFS by specific point pain spots in the muscles and CFS differs from FM by having a sore throat, tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes, variably elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, occasional low grade temperature, and a variety of immunologic or neuroendocrinologic test values.

Sibutramine Case #141

A 52-year-old married woman had a 10 year history of fibromyalgia with multiple areas of point tenderness in her muscles, severe fatigue, marked exercise intolerance, malaise, poor concentration and memory, weight gain, headaches, and poor and unrefreshing sleep. She was tried unsuccessfully on multiple medications including most of the non-steroid anti-inflammatory disease drugs and most recently nabumetone, tramadol, and oxaprozin. The patient was started on sibutramine 5 mg tid p.o.

Within 2 hours of the first 5 mg capsule the patient noted that her fatigue diminished and her energy increased substantially. She was able to eliminate her multiple rest periods and naps and able to walk up 2 levels of steps without effort as compared to her previous total exhaustion. She reported that “simple tasks became easy instead of monumentally strenuous.” Despite difficulty in getting to sleep that first night after sibutramine, she woke up feeling “human” and was able to cope with the various demands of her life without fatigue or need for rest periods. She also became alert and able to concentrate. She did note that her pain points were still tender but that the burning sensation at these points had abated within 4 days. She has not have sleep problems since the first 2 days on sibutramine.

19. Gulf War Syndrome (GWS)

This 47-year-old totally disabled veteran was entirely well until just after a series of injections for anthrax exposure and against various chemical and biological toxins in France in 1988. He was being prepared for duty in the Gulf War as a member of the U.S. Army Calvary motorized corps. He developed asthma, rash, cognitive dysfunction, multiple body pains with trigger spots, poor sleep, confusion, and marked fatigue. Over the next ten years he received both antiallergic and neuropsychiatric treatments with no notable success and with marked deterioration of physical and mental function secondary to steroid toxicity He gained over 100 lbs. in weight and was hospitalized many times, finally being declared totally disabled. Treatment of 10 mg. b.i.d. of sibutramine rapidly repaired his pain, cognitive problems, and confusion. His allergic symptoms had already abated gradually over the previous decade.

20. Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)

This 40-year-old woman began to note an increasing fatigue, poor concentration, rash, and wheezing which she related to exposure to unknown foreigns in the large building in which she worked. She also noted that more than 40 other employees had similar symptoms. She was treated for obesity with sibutramine 5 mg. t.i.d. She then noted rapid relief of the cognitive and fatigue symptoms, but no relief from the allergic symptomatology. She was then forced to leave her job in this building with a gradual relief of all symptoms over the next several weeks.

21. Relief of Heroin Craving and Abuse (Problem No. 12) Sibutramine Patient No. 165

A 19 year old single woman was introduced to heroin by snorting at age 18 years when she was particularly stressed with the anger and pain of losing a boyfriend. She had always had difficulty recovering from pain, anger and loss but the heroin rapidly made her feel “normal”. She quickly moved to the intravenous route and reached a maximum intake of 5 bags per day (approximately $100/day in cost) for the next 6 months when she was discovered to have charged large amounts on her charge cards. She was then hospitalized in a drug detoxification hospital for three weeks but soon relapsed after discharge. After her second round of treatment she was referred to the care of a psychiatrist (the inventor herein). The patient described constant, unrelenting cravings for heroin and expressed that it would be “next to impossible” to remain free of the drug for any length of time. She was started on sibutramine 5 mg tid po with no relief from her anger and hurt nor from her narcotic craving. Out of desperation, the dose was increased to 15 mg in the AM and within an hour she noted a marked change. She now felt a complete relief for the first time since her first exposure to heroin a year before. She now felt the “normal” feeling that heroin had given her and no longer noted any anger, hurt or distress. Furthermore, this effect was extended for the whole day without the rapid wear-off and tolerance that heroin had produced.

Her side effects were a dry mouth and a craving for food. She gained 15 pounds the first 2 weeks on the 15 mg of sibutramine in the morning. This was partially relieved by adding a 5 mg dose of sibutramine in the afternoon. This effect on the heroin craving and hurt is therefore clearly separate from the FDA-approved anorexic effect of sibutramine. Finally, she has had none of the negative “nodding out” side effects with sibutramine that she noted with heroin. She is now working at two jobs to pay her back debts.

22. Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS)

A 34-year-old woman injured her left ankle 14 months prior to her initial visit. The left lower leg then became red and then black, hot, swollen, and extremely painful. RSD was diagnosed and multiple treatments were unsuccessful. After nine months the skin gradually sloughed and the limb turned cold but remained painful, especially to touch. The patient also noted profuse swelling of the affected left leg, a tremor of the left hand, and many visual-spatial problems characteristic of right cerebral dysfunction. She was declared totally disabled. After various unsuccessful treatments, the patient was treated with sibutramine 10 mg. b.i.d. After the sibutramine the patient rapidly became cognitive and had pain relief. This enabled her to discontinue her other medication.

23. The Symptoms Due to Torticollis, Lingual Dystonia and Dyskinesia

Two years ago a 62-year-old woman was diagnosed with Spasmodic Torticollis, Lingual Dystonia and Dyskinesia of the right arm. She was treated with injections of botulinum toxin (BTX) which only temporarily relieved her symptoms, by partially paralyzing her muscles, for a short period of time until the BTX dissipated in her system. Once the Botox wore off the pain became unbearable. Her mouth constantly opens and her tongue protruded. Her arm involuntarily lifts rapidly and moves constantly as well. Her head pulls back and to the side. Due to the pain and discomfort she contemplated surgery.

She was administered sibutramine 15, and within 45 minutes her tremors considerably slowed, her mouth was no. longer pulling open as dramatically and her arm was not moving noticeably. But most importantly, she noticed her pain subsided. She was administered 15 mg sibutramine every six hours. She experienced prolonged and sustained relief of her symptoms. She continues to experience relief of her symptoms as long as she is administered sibutramine.

24. The Symptoms Due to Dementia, Alzheimer's-Type

A 76-year-old woman was diagnosed with Dementia. The symptoms she suffered from included memory loss and severe confusion. She tried a variety of treatments to relieve her symptoms including choldine esterase inhibitors, antidepressants, Ritilin, and aterol. None of these treatments had any effect on her symptoms. She was treated with sibutramine 15 mg once a day and her symptoms quickly dissipated. She was then tested off of sibutramine. Once she was taken off of the sibutramine her symptoms reappeared. She began to suffer from a lowered I.Q. and her memory deteriorated.

25. The Symptoms Due to Institutionalization Syndrome, Also Known As Concentration Camp Syndrome or Survivors Syndrome.

A man was diagnosed with Institutionalization Syndrome and had been in and out of hospitals for 25 years. He was administered sibutramine 15 mg once a day which relieved his symptoms within a few minutes. He has experienced continued improvement of his symptoms in the four months since treatment with sibutramine began.

26. The Symptoms Due to Cerebral Palsy

A 22-year-old man had suffered from Cerebral Palsy since birth. His whole life he had little control of his right arm and hand, and he could not keep his arm straight and down by his side except for short periods of time and using the utmost concentration to do so. Most often he kept his arm in an upright position with his hand near or above his shoulder and his elbow bent. He had no practical use from the arm other than to hold something against his chest. His hand was also rigid and kept in a loose fist configuration. Fine motor movements of the fingers were impossible for him. He was administered sibutramine 15 mg once a day and within a short period of time his symptoms due to Cerebral Palsy were relieved. He had gained control of the right arm and his hand. He is able to hold his hand down by his side for longer periods of time and less concentration required to do so. For the first time in his life he was able to make controlled movements and raise his arm and hand above his head.

27. Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS); Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

A 16-year-old girl had suffered from depression, migraines, eating disorder, ADD/ADHS several years prior. She was taking Prozac and Trazadone. On Sep. 4, 2001 she injured one of her right toes and was in extreme pain. She was forced to give up her dancing career because the pain become so extreme and unrelenting. Her foot became ice cold and mottled blue in color. She saw an orthopedist who diagnosed her with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and referred her to a pain management specialist who agreed and prescribed Lidocaine patches, Neurontin (1200 mg 3 times a day) and physical therapy. The medication was ineffective. The pain increased, she lost her appetite and was having a hard time staying awake and concentrating at school. She then tried Ultracet (tramadol hydrochloride acetaminophen) which did not help the pain and made her feel sicker. She lost range of motion in her toes and ankles. The pain would sometimes start in her toe and travel up trough her ankle to her knee, and up to her hip and back. She had trouble sleeping at night and her foot remained constantly cold, sweaty, clammy and blue colored. She saw a neurologist who diagnosed her with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. He prescribed Elavil, a tricyclic anti-depressant, physical therapy, and getting a TENS unit for home use. She continued her 30 mg of Prozac in the morning but discontinued Trazadone. The Elavil helped her sleep and slightly increased her appetite but did not affect the pain. After about one month her pain slightly decreased, and she had a little range of motion in her toe. She then saw another pain management center which disagreed with the RSD diagnosis and instead felt she had severe tendon injury with a sympathetic medicated pain component. They prescribed a clonodine patch (0.1 mg patch), to promote blood flow, motrin/advil 3-4 times a day, physical therapy and they administered a local anesthetic, lidocaine, which numbed the area.

Unsuccessful with the above-stated treatments she tried 15 mg capsule of sibutramine. Within 45 minutes her foot was dramatically better, completely relieved of pain. She was prescribed 15 mg capsules once a day. Within 2 weeks her toe became normal, and normal function was regained. She was relieved of the symptoms such as profuse sweating, pain, discoloration or temperature changes at the injured site. She was able to dance again for the first time since the injury. She was able to concentrate once again, her grades improved where she was once failing. She increased her appetite and gained weight which was much needed. She is now able to sleep, concentrate more, and her appetite is back. She was taken off sibutramine for one day and all the previous symptoms reappeared, such as increased pain, loss of appetite, irritability, headaches, and lack of concentration. Once she was placed back on 15 mg of sibutramine once a day her pain level decreased significantly within one hour and her symptoms disappeared.

28. Chronic Psychosis and Tardive Dyskinesia

A 43-year-old man had suffered from chronic psychosis for 25 years, that resulted in social withdrawal, isolation, anhedonia, and abulia. He was committed to a Psychiatric Hospital multiple times and was treated with multiple neuroleptic medication from which he has developed Tardive Dyskinesia. He was administered 15 mg sibutramine a day which had immediate effects, in less then one hour the improvement was noticed by him and others. He was emotional for the first time and diminishing his paranoia greatly. He noticed an increase in spontaneity and an impetus to talk, which he had a difficulty in doing prior to sibutramine. After the first week of the sibutramine his Tardive Dyskinesia improved and for the first time in 25 years he had fun, enjoyed socializing, and traveled. He continues to take sibutramine along with 15 mg of Zyprexa daily. 

What is claimed:
 1. A method for treatment of symptoms of dystonia comprising administering a pharmaceutically effective amount of sibutramine, sibutramine salts or derivatives of sibutramine which is a selective reuptake inhibitor for dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine thereof to a human in need of such treatment.
 2. A method for treatment of claim 1 wherein the pharmaceutically effective amount comprises about 0.25 mg to about 45 mg per day.
 3. A method for treatment of claim 1 further comprising delivering said pharmaceutically acceptable amount in a controlled or sustained release form. 